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Hamer Monaco Subtone


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hey all,

I've been MIA with a long stretch playing mostly acoustic projects. as these things go, the wind changes and I've gotten the bug to plug in my 2 Newports more frequently and, as can be expected, expand my universe. I just pulled the plug on a Black Monaco Subtone Bari from ToneKitchen in LA. Anyone in the family sell one off to them recently?

-buzzy

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1 hour ago, Buzzy Fretts said:

hey all,

I've been MIA with a long stretch playing mostly acoustic projects. as these things go, the wind changes and I've gotten the bug to plug in my 2 Newports more frequently and, as can be expected, expand my universe. I just pulled the plug on a Black Monaco Subtone Bari from ToneKitchen in LA. Anyone in the family sell one off to them recently?

-buzzy

Did all that discussion about Spaghetti Western music get to you? 😜

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54 minutes ago, JohnnyB said:

Did all that discussion about Spaghetti Western music get to you? 😜

haha. no! but I had to look up the thread once you told me about it. cool stuff all. took delivery of a dynatrem this week. I just might be onto something!

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50 minutes ago, geoff_hartwell said:

Those are rare, for sure.

There was an HFC member from LA that had a black one a few years back, Be surprised if it was a different one.

Congrats!

thanks geoff. cool. looks like this one was treated with TLC. a great find at the moment I was thinking baritone. will look nice hanging next to my black newport and trans black newport 12er.

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8 hours ago, geoff_hartwell said:

Those are rare, for sure.

There was an HFC member from LA that had a black one a few years back, Be surprised if it was a different one.

Congrats!

That was TJ (tonejunkie).  Still kicking myself for not getting in on the sale.  

Did manage to snag another of his I mised when new owner decided to sell  a few years later.  One of 3 all spruce tops Newports painted black.  True baseball neck.

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That was a catalog model, not a custom order only guitar.  I've seen/played a few.  They're rare, but out there!

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There's been at least a couple of Monaco Subtones on Reverb in the past, interesting (and handy) that the old/completed Reverb listings pop up when doing a Google search.  I found two old Reverb Monaco Subtone listings, both guitars in black...the surprising thing to me is that the scale length is given as 26.5 inches (same as the Lyle Workman T-62 B), which seems kinda short to me for a 'Baritone' guitar.  I tend to think of the old 30" Danelectro Baritone scale length when anybody mentions a Baritone guitar, and I think that's what the Jerry Jones Baritones used back when he was still making guitars.  Edited to add for correction: The old Jerry Jones website still exists, and it turns out that his Baritones were 28" in scale length, not 30":  http://www.jerryjonesguitars.com/singlecut-bari.html 

I measured the scale length on the Chandler Metro Baritone I recently got from DGS, the scale length comes out to about 30 1/4", from nut to bridge saddles; and yes, I rechecked that measurement.  It seems to me like 'Baritone' scale lengths are all over the place anymore figuratively and literally, and it all depends on which manufacturer you check with.

Edited to add (again): More Fun Facts:  https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/20455-deep-6-a-brief-history-of-the-tragically-underused-electric-baritone-guitar

and:  https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/25481-the-recording-guitarist-big-bad-baritone

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3 hours ago, killerteddybear said:

From what I read on the Subtone at Alan's Music, it's not meant to be a baritone guitar; it's merely a longer scale length that tunes best for DGCFAD rather than EADGBE (baritones typically tune at BEADF#B or ADGCEA).

If it's not a baritone guitar, then people need to stop calling it one, like Gruhns:

http://guitars.com/inventory/ez5449-2002-hamer-monaco-subtone-baritone

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3 hours ago, killerteddybear said:

From what I read on the Subtone at Alan's Music, it's not meant to be a baritone guitar; it's merely a longer scale length that tunes best for DGCFAD rather than EADGBE (baritones typically tune at BEADF#B or ADGCEA).

"Want subtones? Then check out the Monaco SubTone. Strung up with .13-.56 gauge strings, this guitar comes tuned down to "B" to handle all your low-end needs. The SubTone features a chambered Honduras Mahogany body with a Mahogany neck and top. The Rosewood fingerboard is accented with Mother of Pearl dot inlays and features a scale length of 26 1/2"." ~ Hamer

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6 hours ago, cynic said:

"Want subtones? Then check out the Monaco SubTone. Strung up with .13-.56 gauge strings, this guitar comes tuned down to "B" to handle all your low-end needs. The SubTone features a chambered Honduras Mahogany body with a Mahogany neck and top. The Rosewood fingerboard is accented with Mother of Pearl dot inlays and features a scale length of 26 1/2"." ~ Hamer

Fair enough. Can't argue with company press.

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The oval hole Selmer guitar that Django played has almost as long a scale length--26.38",  just 0.12" shorter than the SubTone.

Selmer_Maccaferri_503_Django.jpg

Also, the Hamer Virtuoso scale length is 26.25".

There's more to a baritone than just scale length. According to the Wikipedia entry, the baritone is braced differently and is typically tuned a third, fourth, or fifth lower than a standard guitar. Glenn Campbell used a baritone for the single string solos on "Wichita Lineman" and "Galveston."

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